Mintlify vs ReadMe
OCT 2026 auditA comparison of Mintlify and ReadMe built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose Mintlify if…
A team that wants docs and an API reference built from Markdown, MDX and OpenAPI files in a git repository, with an AI assistant, llms.txt and an MCP server, at a flat price per account rather than per seat. Pro is $540 a month billed monthly with unlimited editors; the free Starter plan allows five.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose ReadMe if…
A team publishing an interactive API reference beside guides from an OpenAPI file, with two-way Git sync, a free Starter plan for one project and one admin, and unlimited versions on Pro.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- Mintlify: You want SDKs generated from the same spec. Mintlify shows SDK code samples and points to Speakeasy for the SDKs themselves, where Fern generates them. The AI assistant is a Pro feature and is not on the free plan.
- ReadMe: You want a monthly-billed plan or generated SDKs. Pro is $250 a month shown as billed annually with no monthly price on the page, and ReadMe says it generates no full client SDK. The full Ask AI is a $150 a month add-on.
Neither quite fits? Every other option, ranked by iScore: Mintlify alternatives · ReadMe alternatives
6 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Mintlify 0
ReadMe 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Mintlify | ReadMe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Kind of free offer | Free tier | Free tier |
| What the free plan includes | The Starter plan, free forever: hosting at a mintlify.site address, a custom domain, the web editor, authentication, an MCP server, the API playground and up to 5 editor seats. AI features are not on Starter; new accounts also get a separate 14-day Pro trial. | The Starter plan, free for everyone: one project, one admin and one published version, with a custom domain, bi-directional Git sync, an interactive API reference, usage metrics, a Markdown editor, themes, AI Dropdown, LLMs.txt and an MCP server. Ask AI is a paid add-on. |
| Entry paid plan | $540/month billed monthly for Pro ($450/month when billed annually): unlimited editor seats, the AI assistant and automations, preview deployments and admin APIs. Starter is free and Enterprise is custom. | $250/month for Pro, shown with 'Billed annually' and no monthly-billed price: teammates, multiplayer editing, branching and reviews, private docs, a landing page and custom MDX components, with 5 admins. Starter is free; Enterprise is contact-us, annual billing only. |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly price per account rather than per seat: Starter is free with 5 editor seats, Pro and Enterprise have unlimited editor seats. AI features are metered in credits: Pro includes 10,000 credits a month, overage is $0.01 per credit, an assistant answer costs 25 credits and an automation update 250. Enterprise is custom. | Per-project plans: Starter is free, Pro is $250/month billed annually, Enterprise is custom with annual billing only. Pro includes 5 admins and charges $20 for each additional admin. Add-ons are priced separately: Ask AI at $150/month and extended request history and logs at $100/month. |
| Limits | ||
| Sites or apps included | Unlimited editor seats on Pro, the entry paid plan (Starter has up to 5). The pricing page does not state a cap on the number of documentation sites. | One project on Pro, the entry paid plan, with 5 admins and $20 for each additional admin. Starter also has one project and one admin; Enterprise offers multiple combined projects. |
| Auth | ||
| SAML single sign-on | Limited — Enterprise plans only; covers sign-in to the Mintlify dashboard | Limited — Enterprise plan only; covers teammate sign-in to ReadMe |
| Documentation | ||
| Docs as code in a git repository | Supported | Supported |
| API reference from an OpenAPI spec | Supported | Supported |
| Interactive API playground | Supported | Supported |
| Client SDK generation | Limited — Displays SDK code samples; the page points to Speakeasy for generating the SDKs themselves | Limited — Docs say it generates no full client SDK; it shows code samples plus an optional Node api option |
| llms.txt and markdown for AI tools | Supported | Supported |
| MCP server for the docs or API | Supported | Supported |
| Built-in AI assistant over the docs | Supported — Pro and Enterprise plans only, billed in credits; not on the free Starter plan | Supported — Ask AI Lite is built into Pro; the full Ask AI is a $150/month add-on on any plan |
| Multiple documentation versions | Supported | Supported — Starter publishes 1 version; Pro and Enterprise unlimited |
| Compliance | ||
| SOC 2 | SOC 2 Type 2 report listed among the documents in Mintlify's Trust Center; ISO 27001 appears only as a letter of intent. | SOC 2 Type II is listed under Compliance on ReadMe's Trust Center, alongside GDPR, HIPAA and WCAG 2.1, with a SOC 2 Type II report among its resources. |
| GDPR / data residency | The Trust Center lists Amazon Web Services as the cloud infrastructure subprocessor with data location Northern Virginia, and a GDPR Article 27 Verification document. | API request and key data is stored in an Amazon Web Services facility in Virginia (USA); ReadMe's security FAQ names no other region. |
Where they differ.
What the free plan includes
- Mintlify
- The Starter plan, free forever: hosting at a mintlify.site address, a custom domain, the web editor, authentication, an MCP server, the API playground and up to 5 editor seats. AI features are not on Starter; new accounts also get a separate 14-day Pro trial.
- ReadMe
- The Starter plan, free for everyone: one project, one admin and one published version, with a custom domain, bi-directional Git sync, an interactive API reference, usage metrics, a Markdown editor, themes, AI Dropdown, LLMs.txt and an MCP server. Ask AI is a paid add-on.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing - Mintlify ↗
“The Starter plan is free forever and includes hosting, a custom domain, the web editor, authentication, an MCP server, the API playground, and up to 5 editor seats. [...] Can I use the AI features on the Starter plan? Not on Starter. [...] Every new account gets Mintlify Pro free for 14 days, with no credit card required.”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Pricing · ReadMe ↗
“Starter $ 0 /month Free for everyone Get started Custom domain Bi-directional Sync Interactive API reference Usage metrics Markdown editor Customizable themes Included AI features AI Dropdown LLMs.txt MCP Server Ask AI ($150/mo) ADD-ON [...] Projects 1 project 1 project Custom [...] Published versions 1 version Unlimited Unlimited [...] Admins 1 5 · $20/additional admin Custom”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
Entry paid plan
- Mintlify
- $540/month billed monthly for Pro ($450/month when billed annually): unlimited editor seats, the AI assistant and automations, preview deployments and admin APIs. Starter is free and Enterprise is custom.
- ReadMe
- $250/month for Pro, shown with 'Billed annually' and no monthly-billed price: teammates, multiplayer editing, branching and reviews, private docs, a landing page and custom MDX components, with 5 admins. Starter is free; Enterprise is contact-us, annual billing only.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing - Mintlify ↗
“Pro is $450/month billed annually or $540/month billed monthly. For startups and growing teams Unlimited editor seats Everything in Starter Agent Assistant Automations Preview deployments Admin APIs”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Pricing · ReadMe ↗
“Pro Popular $ 250 /month Billed annually Start free trial All Starter features, plus: Restless (+4,000 credits) NEW Invite teammates Multiplayer editing Branching and reviews Notifications Private docs Landing page”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
Pricing model
- Mintlify
- Flat monthly price per account rather than per seat: Starter is free with 5 editor seats, Pro and Enterprise have unlimited editor seats. AI features are metered in credits: Pro includes 10,000 credits a month, overage is $0.01 per credit, an assistant answer costs 25 credits and an automation update 250. Enterprise is custom.
- ReadMe
- Per-project plans: Starter is free, Pro is $250/month billed annually, Enterprise is custom with annual billing only. Pro includes 5 admins and charges $20 for each additional admin. Add-ons are priced separately: Ask AI at $150/month and extended request history and logs at $100/month.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing - Mintlify ↗
“Pro and Enterprise include unlimited editor seats, so you can add everyone who writes or reviews docs without paying per person. [...] AI features are billed in credits, and every action has a flat price. An Assistant answer is 25 credits and an automation run that updates your docs is 250 credits. [...] 10,000 / month $0.01 per credit for overages”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Pricing · ReadMe ↗
“Annual billing only [...] Admins 1 5 · $20/additional admin Custom [...] Ask AI ($150/mo) ADD-ON [...] Extended history & logs $100/month $100/month $100/month”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
Sites or apps included
- Mintlify
- Unlimited editor seats on Pro, the entry paid plan (Starter has up to 5). The pricing page does not state a cap on the number of documentation sites.
- ReadMe
- One project on Pro, the entry paid plan, with 5 admins and $20 for each additional admin. Starter also has one project and one admin; Enterprise offers multiple combined projects.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing - Mintlify ↗
“How many editor seats are included? The Starter plan includes up to 5 editor seats. Pro and Enterprise include unlimited editor seats”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Pricing · ReadMe ↗
“Projects 1 project 1 project Custom [...] Admins 1 5 · $20/additional admin Custom [...] Multiple combined projects”
Read 2026-10-25 · official pricing · Report a correction
SOC 2
- Mintlify
- SOC 2 Type 2 report listed among the documents in Mintlify's Trust Center; ISO 27001 appears only as a letter of intent.
- ReadMe
- SOC 2 Type II is listed under Compliance on ReadMe's Trust Center, alongside GDPR, HIPAA and WCAG 2.1, with a SOC 2 Type II report among its resources.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Mintlify Trust Center ↗
“SOC 2 Type 2 Report [...] ISO 27001 Letter of Intent”
Read 2026-10-25 · official site · Report a correction
- ReadMe's Trust Center ↗
“Compliance SOC 2 Type II GDPR HIPAA WCAG 2.1 [...] Reports ReadMe - SOC 2 Type II”
Read 2026-10-25 · official site · Report a correction
GDPR / data residency
- Mintlify
- The Trust Center lists Amazon Web Services as the cloud infrastructure subprocessor with data location Northern Virginia, and a GDPR Article 27 Verification document.
- ReadMe
- API request and key data is stored in an Amazon Web Services facility in Virginia (USA); ReadMe's security FAQ names no other region.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Mintlify Trust Center ↗
“Amazon Web Services Cloud Infrastucture Data location: Northern Virginia [...] GDPR Article 27 Verification”
Read 2026-10-25 · official site · Report a correction
- Security ↗
“API request and key data is stored indefinitely in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) facility in Virginia (USA).”
Read 2026-10-25 · official docs · Report a correction
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing — except where we say we read the other provider's own page on a given date and it does not state it. Those rows lean, and the provider can correct them with a link.
Questions this comparison answers.
Entry paid plan: Mintlify or ReadMe?
Mintlify: $540/month billed monthly for Pro ($450/month when billed annually): unlimited editor seats, the AI assistant and automations, preview deployments and admin APIs. Starter is free and Enterprise is custom.
ReadMe: $250/month for Pro, shown with 'Billed annually' and no monthly-billed price: teammates, multiplayer editing, branching and reviews, private docs, a landing page and custom MDX components, with 5 admins. Starter is free; Enterprise is contact-us, annual billing only.
Should I choose Mintlify or ReadMe?
Pick Mintlify if A team that wants docs and an API reference built from Markdown, MDX and OpenAPI files in a git repository, with an AI assistant, llms.txt and an MCP server, at a flat price per account rather than per seat. Pro is $540 a month billed monthly with unlimited editors; the free Starter plan allows five.
Pick ReadMe if A team publishing an interactive API reference beside guides from an OpenAPI file, with two-way Git sync, a free Starter plan for one project and one admin, and unlimited versions on Pro.
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